Strategies for Career Development in the Construction Industry
Last week, we shared that November is National Career Development Month and gave you tips on front-facing the right way for the most impact on your career. Continuing on the same topic of Career Development, I am taking a saying pastor and author Tommy Boland used in service this week: “measurable progress in reasonable time.” He was referring to spiritual growth from staying connected to our maker and reading God’s word. I am going to use the saying in the context of the workplace and with your employers or business.
Synonyms for measurable include perceptible, quantitative, significant, mensurable, assessable, and calculable, to name a few. Synonyms for progress include advance, advancement, forward motion, onward motion, procession, and progression. When it comes to advancement in the workplace, your progress with the responsibilities you have been hired for should get faster without losing accuracy with repetitive work and more detailed with new work. As you learn the company’s way of doing things, your relationships with your supervisor and associates grow and solidify as you gain mutual respect for one another.
So, what is reasonable time? Like a plant, you are either growing or dying. That growth takes investment—investment of you, your time, and commitment to the company and job you signed on for.
Former CEO of Coca -ola Muhtar Kent said, “Without investment, there will not be growth, and without growth, there will not be employment.”
How can you stay healthy and grow in the workplace?
1. The Role of Company Mission in Career Growth
Embrace and deliver the company mission! It is easy to point fingers at your teammates and other circumstances when not meeting the mission, yet those who lead the charge with solutions to become consistent in delivering the mission set forth are the fastest-growing and most valued in the workplace. In all the years we have been doing references, even when an employer took a project with undesirable terms or a business decision resulting in a lay-off, the people who lessened that burden and stayed as long as they could without hurting their own families were not only honored and respected by the employer they kept their commitment with but also rewarded with the next opportunity to grow.
2. Embracing Core Values for Career Success in Construction
Live out the company’s core values. Do you even know what your company’s core values are and what they mean? According to a Forbes article, “Core Values, What They Are, Why They Matter and How They Can Transform Your Business,” “A company’s core values are the root values and beliefs which form the basis on which the organization and its employees operate from. They ultimately serve as the ‘guiding light’ that steers the company’s attitude and behavior towards others.”
At our firm, we are 80% people and 20% everything else, so when someone is uncomfortable front-facing with people in the construction and development industry and does not enjoy participating in doing so and gravitates toward computers, they do not share our core value of Connecting, and it affects their ability to grow within our organization. The core values at your construction company may look like the example below from Stratus.net. If you have a teammate who never shows up for meetings or provides solutions, does not share the core value of Collaboration, and is dead in the workplace (whether still receiving a paycheck or not), it will be only a matter of time before they resign or are laid off.
- Integrity is a key value, as all decisions should be made in an honest and ethical manner.
- Safety is always the highest priority for any construction and production company, and it is important to have policies that ensure the safety of all employees.
- Respect is important to ensure everyone in the organization is treated with dignity and respect.
- Quality is paramount, as it ensures projects are completed on time and with the highest standards.
- Collaboration should be encouraged among employees and partners so ideas can be shared, discussed, and used for maximum benefit.
- Innovation and sustainability are important for creating cost-effective solutions that use resources responsibly.
3. Advancing in the Construction Workplace through Attitude
Understand the difference between mood and attitude. Moods are temporary, and all of us have our good and bad days and days where we can be out of sorts. When you are moody, which means grumpy, irritable, sullen, unstable, unpredictable, temperamental, volatile, fickle, inconstant, and undependable, to name a few, then you have an attitude problem and need to get help or change industries and especially employers if your attitude is because you are not embracing the mission, vision, and core values where you are at. After all, skills can be taught, but attitude and aptitude cannot. If you need help determining if you have mood swings or an attitude problem, go to https://happilymarriedtoyouremployer.com/attitude-in-the-workplace/ and take the self-evaluation.
Measurable Progress and Reasonable Time in Construction Careers
How are you doing with measurable progress in reasonable time when it comes to your career? Are you aligned with your company’s core values? Do you deliver the mission before you with the right attitude? Do you need a guide to help you reach your career goals? At FLCC, Inc., our business processes are designed to guide you to know your industry choices, prepare for your future, define and conquer roadblocks, and take control of your career. We offer a trademarked career matchmaking process, career assessment tools, and career coaching specifically for professionals working in Construction Management and Real Estate Development. Most often, individuals do not understand the career options they may have right where they are without changing employers.
If you want to go from passenger to pilot of your career, call or text 305-361-0094 to make it happen. After all, nobody deserves to feel out of control or unfulfilled in their career, including you!
To Measurable Progress in Reasonable Time,
Suzanne Breistol
